The ability to accurately dispense liquids has broad applications in the laboratory automation and healthcare fields. Within the field of Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostics it is anticipated that applications will exist where it is desirable to deliver a precise amount of liquid to a predefined area. It is further anticipated that these applications will necessitate control devices where small size and portability will be highly valued.
There presently exist many methods for delivering fluids within the laboratory and POC fields. These include mechanical methods such as metered dose inhalers (MDI), peristaltic and piezo pumps and manual pipettes. These methods often have limited precision or would require a large area to incorporate within a portable device. It is therefore desirable to develop a new system to enable the next generation of POC devices.
Advantageous traits of such a system are small size, flexible volumes and high precision. Since the controllers which will incorporate these devices may have limited electrical input and output capabilities it is also desired to enable a simplified control interface. A further requirement is the ability to dispense a range of liquids while limiting any undesirable chemical interactions within the device.
A novel fluid delivery system meeting these needs is fully described is this disclosure.